The Senate Republican, who shunned the Congressional Black Caucus, may be looking for some black support back home.

Given that path, there’s doubt that Scott is so much speaking off the cuff as he is scanning South Carolina’s electoral battlefield. At the very least, Scott wants to ensure the winning margins are wide when he takes his victory lap on Nov. 4.

Charles D. Ellison is a veteran political strategist and frequent contributor to The Root. He is also Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune and chief political correspondent for Uptown magazine. Follow him onTwitter.

Charles D. Ellison is a veteran political strategist and a contributing editor at The Root. He is also Washington correspondent for the Philadelphia Tribune, a frequent contributor to The Hill, the weekly Washington insider for WDAS-FM in Philadelphia and host of The Ellison Report, a weekly public-affairs magazine broadcast and podcast on WEAA 88.9 FM Baltimore. Follow him on Twitter.